Awwal 12, 1432 / April 16, 2011, SPA -- A band of fast-moving storms brought reports of more than one hundred possible tornadoes across the South on Saturday, toppling trees, snapping power lines and bringing the two-day death toll to 17. Emergency crews in Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama worked to assess the damage as the storm system moved north into the Carolinas and southern Virginia, according to the National Weather Service. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley declared a state of emergency Friday after reports of tornado touchdowns in at least six counties. Multiple injuries were reported in Sumter and Marengo counties, with at least one fatality in the latter, he said. Three people were also killed in Autauga County after fallen trees crashed into mobile homes in the area, police said. Three deaths in Washington County were reported, said Yasamie August, spokeswoman for the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. Two other deaths were previously reported in Oklahoma and seven in Arkansas. "This is a serious storm that has already caused significant damage across the South. I hope Alabamians take extreme caution while these storms move through," Bentley said in a statement. Mississippi Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin similarly ordered states of emergency Friday for 14 Mississippi counties and 26 Oklahoma counties, respectively. In Greene County, one death and six injuries were reported, officials said. The city of Clinton, Mississippi, suffered "extensive damage" when a tornado touched down, according to Mississippi's Emergency Management Agency. The city's mayor said no one was injured in the storm, which tore the roof from a hotel and caused major damage to a bank and numerous homes. In Georgia, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for the western and northern parts of the state, predicting hail, dangerous lightning and possible wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour.
